Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Russia Eyes Military Expansion in Northeast Syria

Sirwan Kajjo

   Russian troops in Syria are looking to expand their military presence
   in the northeastern part of the war-ravaged country, local sources
   said.

   A Russian military convoy arrived last week in a village near Syria's
   border with Turkey and Iraq, where Russian officers reportedly met with
   local residents and discussed the possibility of building a military
   base in the vicinity.

   A local reporter told VOA that the village Qasir Dib is located near
   the Kurdish-majority town of Malikiyah in Syria's north-easternmost
   region.

   "I spoke with people who were present at the meeting," said Nishan
   Mohammad, a freelance reporter based in northeast Syria. "They
   confirmed that the Russians had expressed a desire to build a military
   base in the village."

   Increased presence

   In recent months, Russia, a staunch backer of Syrian President Bashar
   al-Assad's regime, has increased its foothold the country's northeast,
   which is largely controlled by local Kurdish forces.

   After Turkish military and its allied Syrian militias launched an
   offensive against the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in
   October 2019, Russian troops stepped into the region, following a
   partial U.S. troop withdrawal from the border area between Syria and
   Turkey.

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